Beautiful Creation
by XBlazingVampire5X
Summary: Haruka finds himself pregnant with Makoto's child, and the two find themselves growing closer and closer as the nine months pass. Makoharu, yaoi, mpreg. Written for an mpreg headcanon.


**I have found a new love for Free! and I'm not even sorry. I fell in love with Makoharu straight away, and god I've never felt such a natural pull to a pairing in a really long time. So, I know, I need to work on my other fics, but for now, have this makoharu mpreg oneshot!**

**Please, if you don't like yaoi or mpreg, don't read this, I don't want any unnecessary nasty comments, thanks! **

Beautiful Creation

If Makoto was to pinpoint the exact moment that he figured out something wasn't quite right in Haruka, he supposed it would be the morning when he found his boyfriend on his knees in front of the toilet, instead of soaking in the tub like usual. The bathtub was full and Haruka was wearing his swim trunks, so Makoto presumed that Haru had at least started off his morning as he normally did, but instead of having to pull him out of the water, Makoto found himself kneeling beside Haru, rubbing his back soothingly.

"Haru-chan, what's wrong?" Makoto asked gently. Haruka merely grunted in response, but Makoto saw the way his fingers tensed as he tried to stop them from shaking. Feeling his heart pull defensively, Makoto slid an arm around Haru's shoulders and brought the smaller boy into his chest. "It's okay, Haru-chan, I'm here."

Haruka shivered and fought between shrugging the other boy off and insisting that he was fine, or leaning into his touch. He didn't want Makoto to worry and fuss (the other male tended to _really _worry and fuss) over a simple stomach bug, but at the same time he could admit to himself that he felt like crap and, though he'd never admit it aloud, he wanted the comfort of his boyfriend.

Eventually, Haruka decided to push himself shakily to his feet, and Makoto stood as well, hands hovering just beside his partner in case he fell. "Haru-chan…?"

"I'm fine, stop worrying." Haruka had his usual stoic expression on, his voice devoid of practically all emotion, though his eyes did soften slightly at the worried look on Makoto's face. "Honestly, I don't even feel sick anymore."

Makoto studied Haruka's face for a moment, searching for any trace of a lie, but he found none. "Okay, let's get ready, Haru-chan, or we'll end up being late…"

"I told you to lay off the –chan."

Makoto smiled a little more freely after hearing that, Haru was still the same as ever. As the pair made their way to school, Makoto chatted amiably for the both of them while Haruka stared out at the ocean, half-listening and hoping that he wouldn't end up so sick that he couldn't swim. And if Makoto's fingers entwined themselves with his as though Mako had read his mind, well, Haruka didn't notice, and he definitely didn't smile.

~X~

"I'm fine, Makoto."

Makoto frowned and glared, but it looked more like a pout. "Don't be ridiculous Haru-chan, you've been throwing up for weeks now! You can't even stand the smell of fish!"

Haruka sighed and leant back against the wall, averting his eyes from his friends in front of him. While it was true that he'd been struggling to keep anything down and had been forced to stop cooking fish altogether after he'd found that the smell of it sent him running for the bathroom, that didn't mean he was _dying _or whatever other horrible scenarios Makoto had no doubt conjured up.

"It's probably just an infection, it'll go away in a couple of days." Haruka attempted to satisfy the others, but it didn't work.

"You've been saying that for ages, Haru-chan! It hasn't gone away yet!" Dammit, Makoto sounded terrified. Haruka forced himself to keep staring out of the window and not risk looking at his boyfriend, knowing that if he did, he'd just end up giving in immediately.

"Mako-chan's right, Haru-chan! You haven't even been able to focus completely on your swimming!" Nagisa's voice chimed in beside him, both of the younger boy's hands gripping his elbow tightly.

"I can still feel the water just the same way as always," Haruka muttered, and Nagisa made a noise of despair that sounded suspiciously like a whine.

"But Haru-chaaan-"

"You really should go and see a doctor." The calm voice of Rei cut over Nagisa's griping. "Being sick this much can't be good for you."

Haruka made a soft noise of annoyance at the back of his throat as Nagisa loudly agreed- "Yeah, you should do that Haru-chan! Ah Rei-chan is so smart!"- and attempted to step away from the wall and break out of the barrier his friends had formed around him. He was stopped, however, by a hand on his arm, and made the mistake of turning to look at the owner. Haru found himself staring into Makoto's wide, concerned eyes, and his breath caught in his throat.

"Please, Haru-chan," Makoto whispered softly, and god he looked like he was on the verge of tears. Haruka tried to swallow around the sudden lump in his throat, to refuse and reassure his boyfriend once again that he was _perfectly okay,_ but the words wouldn't come. Instead he found himself sighing in resignation.

"Fine."

Nagisa cheered happily and Rei straightened his glasses in approval, while Makoto gave Haruka a brilliant smile that left his cheeks slightly pink.

"Thank you, Haru-chan."

"Whatever." He muttered, walking off down the corridor and leaving the others to follow along at their own pace, wondering how Makoto always managed to make him do what he wanted.

_Well, _Haruka supposed, the corners of his lips turning up slightly at the ghost of a smile, _I never could resist that face._

~X~

Well, that wasn't what either of them had been expecting.

Haruka and Makoto were sat on opposite sides of Haru's table, neither one of them speaking and resolutely not meeting each other's eyes, or at least, on Haruka's part. Makoto was trying in vain to catch his boyfriend's gaze, to signal that they needed to talk about this, that they needed to do something, that despite it all, everything would be okay. Haruka, on the other hand, couldn't bring himself to look at his partner. It wasn't shame or embarrassment, he thought, and it wasn't as though he didn't want to talk to Makoto about…this. It was more shock, he supposed, like being interrupted in the middle of a swim or being suddenly pulled out of the water. He just needed time to readjust himself and try to make sense of what was going through his head, which at this moment in time, were the doctor's words.

"Congratulations, Nanase. You're pregnant."

Pregnant. _Pregnant. _No, the word still didn't sit properly in his mind. He just couldn't comprehend the thought that he was actually carrying a _child_. The concept felt alien, too strange to be real.

Not that he didn't understand how, of course. He'd heard of these males that were capable of carrying children, he'd just never really considered that he could actually be one of them, and definitely never pictured that he'd actually end up _pregnant. _With _Makoto's child _no less.

Makoto. The thought of the other male had Haruka warring with himself. This situation wasn't just one he could shut himself away from, ignore and pretend it didn't exist with the excuse that it was only affecting him. No, this time there was someone else equally involved, and he knew that his boyfriend would definitely not just let this matter drop. Mentally bracing himself for the conversation to follow, Haruka slowly raised his eyes to meet Makoto's.

As soon as the other boy met his gaze, Makoto felt a rush of emotions, fear, relief, determination, excitement. He didn't know where to begin, how to start talking to Haru about what they were going to do, but he knew he needed to speak before Haruka looked away again. He could tell from his boyfriend's face that Haruka was finding the entire situation confusing and difficult, and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to be there for him.

"Haru-chan," Makoto started, pausing to swallow and think out his next words. He decided to start off by keeping it safe, simple. "Are you…okay?"

Haruka blinked as Makoto mentally kicked himself. Really? A situation like _this _and that's all he can think to say?

The dark-haired boy continued to blink at Makoto. Was he okay? He'd been so busy trying to wrap his mind around the whole idea that he never actually thought about how he _felt _about it. Haruka grimaced internally, feelings and expressing those feelings weren't exactly his strong point, it had taken him ages before he had been able to tell Makoto he actually liked him. Now he was supposed to figure out how he felt about this child as well?

Although…now he thought about it, he wasn't exactly bothered by the thought of the baby, nor was he freaking out and panicking. To be perfectly honest, he didn't really feel…anything. Like normal, he didn't care for anything other than water and- only recently admitted to himself- Makoto. This…pregnancy or whatever didn't change either of those, so to be honest, he _was_ okay.

"Yes," he allowed the word to slip past his lips and was startled by the surprise he heard in his tone.

Makoto, however, either didn't hear it or chose to ignore it, because he reached over the table to cover Haruka's hands with his own, smiling widely. "Really, Haru-chan? You're alright with this, it doesn't bother you? That's a relief, I-I mean I thought you'd be completely against this-" Makoto froze as a thought occurred to him, and Haruka frowned. "You…you are planning to keep it, right?"

Haruka went still, eyes widening ever so slightly. What? Makoto thought he was planning on getting an abortion? Haruka frowned again. That notion had never once crossed his mind, although he knew that for many other people in their situation it would have been one of their first thoughts. Somehow, he had no problems at all with the idea of keeping the baby and carrying it to term, and as he looked at Makoto's borderline heartbroken expression, he knew that the taller boy felt the same. Haruka's heart tripped uncomfortably in his chest, and he wasn't sure if it was Makoto's sad look or the thought of getting rid of their baby or both. All he really knew was that he was going through with the pregnancy.

Realising that he was taking too long to answer and Makoto was beginning to draw away from him, Haruka tightened his grip on one of the other boy's fingers, and then froze as he wasn't sure if he was supposed to. For crying out loud, they'd slept together and he was still awkward and unsure in initiating any kind of romantic contact. Haru relaxed slightly when Makoto met his eyes again, urging him for an answer.

"Haru-chan?"

"I'm keeping it." Was all Haruka had to say, but it was enough. Makoto's eyes filled with happiness so unbelievably quickly Haru had to blink, and he was smiling that gorgeous melting smile that was reserved for only Haruka.

"Haru!" Said boy flushed as Makoto leant over the table and pressed their lips together, relaxing into the touch of the taller male. Eventually, Makoto pulled back and rested his forehead on Haruka's, green eyes meeting blue, and Haruka had to fight to regain any coherent thoughts. "Thank you."

Haruka blushed and looked away, suddenly understanding that Makoto felt a lot more strongly about their baby than he did, and he couldn't decide how that made him feel.

Makoto pulled back completely, looking at Haruka the way he sometimes looked at his siblings when he was trying to tell them something important.

"Haru-chan," Makoto started. "You know that now you're keeping this baby, you're not going to be able to swim as much as you normally do, it won't be good for the baby."

Haruka gave Makoto a blank stare. Okay, he might have some problems with that.

~X~

Needless to say, Haruka found himself, if anything, spending more time in the water than he did before, much to the despair of his boyfriend. Being pregnant did nothing to change his love of the water, his need to be submerged in it, to feel the sensation of it being around him. He still dived in pretty much as soon as he arrived at swim club meets, and by the time a protesting Makoto had gotten around to getting ready and catching up to him in the water, he'd done enough that the taller male gave up on the lost cause and just let him carry on.

The change in the pair's behaviour wasn't missed by the other members of the swim club of course, with Nagisa being the worst one to press them for information, though neither one of them gave him any. Makoto knew, and he was sure that somewhere in his water-obsessed mind, Haruka did too, that eventually they wouldn't be able to keep the truth a secret from the other members of the club. Especially not with it being a club that so often spent time around each other with nothing but swimming trunks on. And at some point, Haruka would have to stop altogether when it became too much for him, and Makoto highly doubted that any of them would let Haruka just stop coming without putting up a fuss.

Sighing, Makoto joined the others in the water, keeping an eye on Haruka the entire time. He was still ploughing through the water as ever…

"Hey, Mako-chan, why the long face?" Nagisa appeared rather suddenly in Makoto's line of vision, causing him to jump back in surprise.

"E-eh? Oh, it's nothing, I'm just thinking, that's all." He chuckled awkwardly, hoping to satisfy the younger swimmer enough so that he would stop asking questions. Unfortunately for him, the blonde seemed to be in a pretty persistent mood that day.

"You always say that, Mako-chan! What are you thinking about to make you look like that?" Nagisa pressed, large eyes staring imploringly up at Makoto, and he pulled a face as he tried not to give in to his friend's puppy-dog expression.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it, Nagisa," Makoto attempted a smile to reassure him, and Nagisa splashed the surface of the water.

"But-"

"Leave him alone, you're being annoying."

Thank god for Rei.

Nagisa turned to face the fourth member of their club, spluttering protests, allowing Makoto to swim away from the hyperactive blonde. He pushed himself to the other end of the pool, stopping to breathe a sigh of relief as he noticed that Nagisa and Rei were still arguing –flirting, his mind corrected- over the other side.

"Was Nagisa pressuring you again?" A quiet voice beside him caused Makoto to turn his head to see Haruka, floating in the water beside him. Makoto smiled at the almost defensive tone to his boyfriend's voice, Haruka didn't often display much emotion but he could be possessive at times.

"It's fine, I just feel bad that I have to keep lying to him and avoiding the subject," Makoto tilted his head affectionately as Nagisa splashed Rei with indignation at something he'd said.

Haruka watched the other two members as well. "Yeah…" He knew that this was his fault really, Makoto only told him to stop and take it easy because he was trying to take care of him, and he was making it difficult to do.

As though the other boy had read his mind (again), Makoto placed a hand on Haru's shoulder and smiled gently down at him.

"Hey, it's not your fault, okay? This is harder on you than it is on me. Anyway, how are you two doing?"

Haruka looked down at the surface of the water, a hand finding its way to his abdomen. _You two…_ that still sounded odd, even though Makoto had been using the term for weeks now. In fact, it wasn't just Makoto, the pair had told the brunette's family last week –Haruka was firmly against letting his own parents know- and after the initial shock had worn off, they'd all been kind and thoughtful around him, Makoto's dad clapping him on the shoulder and smiling broadly, his siblings latching onto his legs and begging him to choose them as the better aunt/uncle, and his mother doting endlessly on him, giving him multiple remedies for morning sickness and constantly referring to him and the baby as 'you two'. Despite the sort-of nickname sounding odd, Haruka still found himself pleased every time someone said it, and he had no idea where the sudden rush of…pride came from.

"Haru-chan?" Makoto pressed, and Haruka pulled out of his thoughts and remembered that Makoto was still waiting for an answer.

"Oh, we're doing fine. I've been eating the things your mother sent over for me, and I haven't been sick at all this past week." Haruka tightened the hand over his abdomen, frowning just slightly.

Makoto, again doing his mind-reading trick, reached out beneath the water to place his own hand on top of Haruka's. It wasn't obvious really, in fact it probably wouldn't have been noticeable at all had Haruka not had such a muscled torso in the first place, but there was no mistaking that there was a bump there, the skin being softer than it was usually.

"You're starting to show, aren't you?" Makoto breathed into Haruka's neck affectionately, the latter shivering slightly at the feel of it. He was, and as much as he hated to think about it, he knew he wouldn't be able to hide it from the other members for much longer. But still…

Haruka turned his head slightly, pressing his nose into Makoto's neck, and it was the brunette's turn to shiver. "It can be our secret for a little longer."

~X~

A little longer turned out to be about three weeks, when Nagisa, teasing initially, joked that Haru-chan wasn't as toned as he used to be, and that he was slacking off, but when Haruka and Makoto froze simultaneously, they all knew that there was something more to the story.

The reactions amongst them had been better than Haruka had expected, originally anticipating disbelief, disapproval, or even disgust. He knew it wasn't exactly an ordinary occurrence.

Would he ever be ordinary?

Regardless of Haruka's expectations however, all of the other members of the swim club were enthusiastic. Nagisa had bounced around so excitedly he'd almost knocked Haruka back into the pool, and it was then that Rei had pulled him back as Makoto took a firm grip on Haru's elbow. From his new position of being firmly held in place by Rei, Nagisa had continued to go on babbling for another five minutes about how he was so excited, and he couldn't wait for the baby to be born so that he could be its awesome big brother. Makoto had smiled and nodded along with their friend's ramblings, while Haruka rolled his eyes, but Makoto was sure that he saw the corners of his mouth curve upwards slightly.

Ama-chan had told Haruka that he was free to continue swimming as long as he felt he could, and then he could have as long as he needed away from the meets to have and care for the baby, the entire time grinning widely like a proud mother.

Kou had suggested that they have a celebration, to which Nagisa had loudly agreed and pleaded until they all settled on going. It was a nice time spent out with friends who genuinely cared for them, Makoto thought warmly, holding Haru's hand under the table the whole evening, trying to hide the way his lips tilted up into a wide smile every time Haruka squeezed his fingers.

That night, they'd gone back to Haruka's and Makoto had pulled a tired-looking Haru down beside him on the sofa, tilting his head and giving his boyfriend a soft smile.

"Watch a film with me?"

Haruka sighed, rolling his eyes, but he curled his legs up beneath him anyway, leaning back against the cushions. Makoto gave Haru a gentle look that was so full of pure love, the shorter boy had to look away, blushing crimson.

And if Haruka ended up falling asleep, curled into Makoto's side halfway through the film, then it absolutely was not because he liked the feeling of warmth and protectiveness the other one offered.

~X~

Regardless of the other club members now being aware of Haruka's condition, swim meets didn't change at all. Haruka continued to swim just as he always did, though now Rei and Kou joined in on being worried for his and the baby's health. Nagisa just continued to make comments on how if Haruka spent so much time in the water while he was pregnant, then the baby would definitely turn out to be an amazing swimmer just like its parents. Ama-chan just despaired of the lot of them.

The first real, earth-shattering change for Haruka came when he was mid-way through swimming the length of the pool. He froze so abruptly it looked as though he'd hit some kind of invisible wall, catching the attention of the other members who'd never seen him just…stop before.

Makoto was beside his boyfriend in an instant, hands hovering over Haruka as though he was going to fall apart at any moment. "Haru-chan?!" Makoto yelped, noticing the way Haruka had a hand pressed firmly over his gradually swelling abdomen. "What's wrong?"

Haruka was vaguely aware of the other members of the club calling his name, but he couldn't focus on anything other than the sensation he'd just felt. He squeezed his eyes shut, concentrating on his midsection in the hope that he'd feel it again.

Yes, there it was! An odd, but not unpleasant, fluttering sensation just below his navel. Haruka floundered with his own mind for a moment until he managed to pinpoint exactly what the feeling was.

He'd just felt his baby move.

Haruka's heart leapt into his throat as he made the realisation, and he couldn't understand why he was suddenly _feeling _so much. It was like what he felt when he was in the water, like what he felt when he was around Makoto, only different. But it still flooded him with warmth, with a sudden indescribable, protective desire. That fluttering inside of him was a _life, _it was the life he and Makoto had created together.

_Their baby._

And wow all of a sudden the whole concept of being _pregnant _shifted, it felt real. He was actually sustaining a new life inside of him. He was actually going to be a _parent. _

Haruka felt a warm wetness on his cheeks, and it wasn't until he felt someone's hand brushing at the skin that he realised he was crying. Damn, when had that started? _Why _had that even started? He wasn't an emotional person at all, and most of what he did feel was kept inside and covered by a mask of stoicism. So why was he crying now?

Haruka opened his eyes to see a gorgeous pair of green ones that made his heart race and he figured that maybe he was crying because he couldn't cope with so much _feeling _all at the same time.

Slowly coming down from his shocked, blissful bubble, Haruka realised that all of the members of the swim club had surrounded him now, and Makoto had put a hand on his shoulder, the other one still brushing the tears from Haru's cheeks. He looked almost ill he was so worried, but Haruka couldn't find the words to tell his boyfriend what had just happened. He opened his mouth, but all that came out was a shaky breath. Yeah, he really needed to work on regaining his stoic composure.

"Haru-chan?" Makoto's voice sounded scared and urgent, and it was then that Haruka realised that the other boy's hands were trembling. Carefully, Haruka reached up with the hand that wasn't resting on his abdomen and placed it on Makoto's cheek.

"I'm fine," he murmured, and it came out a little breathless, so he cleared his throat before continuing. "Makoto…I just felt the baby move."

Around him, he heard the shocked noises of his team mates (and the excited cheer from Nagisa), but all he could focus on was Makoto's face as the taller boy gasped softly, before leaning in and crushing their lips together in a heated kiss that made Haruka's knees give out. He distantly heard Kou say something, but considering that all his mind could comprehend was a mixture of '_Makoto' _and _'baby', _it wasn't that surprising that he didn't pay attention.

When Makoto teased him about being so open and emotional later, Haruka swatted him off and grumbled that it was because of stupid pregnancy hormones, and refused to admit to himself that actually, it might be because he was falling in love.

~X~

For the next few weeks, Haruka surprised both Makoto and himself by actually _listening _to what Makoto told him to do. He didn't dive into the pool and plough recklessly through the water anymore, and if Makoto told him that it was too cold to swim he didn't get into the pool, instead he took a hot bath at home instead. Haruka figured that because he could now feel their baby moving inside of him, he couldn't bring himself to do anything that could even potentially harm the child. He still longed for the sensation of being in the water and feeling it move around him, and from the increase in fluttering he felt whenever he swam, he guessed that his baby felt the same way, but he found that sensation perfectly well from soaking in a tub and swimming calmly.

Makoto was overjoyed that Haruka was finally listening to him, and he'd become more openly affectionate, something that Haru supposed had always been a part of Makoto's personality, he'd just held back so as not to make Haruka uncomfortable. Makoto would hold his hand whenever they walked anywhere, bury his face into Haruka's hair and stop him randomly beside the pool or in the kitchen to press their lips together in a chaste kiss that always left Haruka a little pink in the cheeks. Whenever it was called up, however, Haruka would always firmly deny it, refusing to admit how much of an effect Makoto actually had on him.

One evening, Makoto had gone out to get groceries for his family and told Haruka to start thinking of some names he might like to give their child. Haruka had stared blankly at a piece of paper for an hour, a book of names held loosely in his hand, completely unable to get anything that gave him any kind of inspiration at all. He'd only just started getting used to being pregnant, now he was expected to put a name to the life growing inside of him. As irritating as it was, Haruka couldn't think of any names at all, and in desperation wrote down whatever was at the front of his mind.

He hadn't realised exactly what he'd been writing down until Makoto came back and took the sheet to look at. Haruka had continued to stare blankly forwards, only looking up when he noticed Makoto staring at him with a fond but exasperated expression on his face.

"What?" Haruka questioned, confused.

"We're not naming our child 'pool' Haru-chan."

Haruka spent the next ten minutes spluttering at an amused Makoto about how it was just pregnancy hormones making him crazy.

~X~

"Where are we going, Makoto?"

"You'll see, Haru-chan," Makoto sang in reply, swinging their linked hands together as the pair walked down the road. Makoto had woken Haruka early that morning, hurrying him out of bed with the news that they were going out for the day, though the taller male refused to tell exactly where. Haruka didn't mind not knowing, he was happy to spend some time with Makoto away from people excited about the baby, and from the blissed smile on Makoto's face, the other boy felt the same.

Makoto and Haruka walked for another ten minutes before Makoto pulled Haru to a stop. The shorter boy looked at the building they were stood in front of, lips parting slightly in…shock? Disbelief? Gratitude?

"This is…"

Makoto smiled upon seeing Haruka's expression. "Yep! This is that new indoor water park you'd been wanting to visit, Haru-chan."

Haruka blinked, staring at the place. He'd mentioned wanting to visit months ago, long before this pregnancy was even a notion. Makoto had remembered from that long ago?

Haruka mentally kicked himself, of course Makoto remembered. When did Makoto not remember something he said?

"Haru-chan?" Makoto's voice pulled Haruka out of his thoughts, and a small smile graced the dark-haired boy's lips in what was his excitement.

"Thank you, Makoto."

The taller male flushed slightly, squeezing Haruka's fingers in response.

Once the two had changed into their swimming attire (Haruka into some that were larger around the waist, his old ones wouldn't fit him anymore, much to his chagrin), Makoto led them out into the main part of the park. He laughed slightly when he felt Haruka tense beside him, excitement at having somewhere new and bigger to swim clear in his eyes.

"Go on, Haru-chan, just be careful, okay?" At Makoto's consent, Haruka took cautious but hurried steps towards the pool, sliding himself in when he reached the edge before submerging himself. Haru felt himself instantly relax at the feeling of the water around him, pushing himself forwards through the pool with slow, peaceful strokes, soaking in the atmosphere of the water he so loved. Haruka smiled slightly as he felt a slight flutter in his abdomen, knowing now that it was his baby moving, relaxing in the water as well.

Haruka opened his eyes when he felt something brush against his arm, turning to see Makoto floating on his back next to him and giving him that same adorable idyllic smile that made Haru's heart skip a beat. Haruka opened his mouth to say something, but Makoto reached out and wrapped his arms around Haru's torso before he could, pulling both of them through the water before rolling them a little under the surface, the lack of weight making it easy. Haruka smiled softly when he heard Makoto chuckle into his ear, reminding him of a time when they were children, before they'd even met Rin and Nagisa. The two of them always used to play in the water, Makoto playfully pulling Haruka along until he gave in and joined his friend. The fact that Makoto was doing the same now, all these years on, made Haruka feel oddly happy.

For the second time that day, Haruka was pulled out of his thoughts, this time by a jab in his middle. Haru paused, placing an experimental hand on the place where he'd just felt the baby kick, and blinked when he felt it again.

"Haru-chan, what is it?" Haruka looked up to see Makoto gazing worriedly at him. Wordlessly, Haru reached out and took his boyfriend's hand, guiding it to the place where he could feel the jabs, fighting back a laugh as he watched Makoto's expression change from mildly confused to outright startled.

"Can you feel it?" Haruka questioned mildly.

Makoto gaped at his boyfriend, opening and closing his mouth for a few seconds before finally managing to find words. "Our baby is kicking?"

Haruka nodded, and watched with hidden affection at how Makoto's entire face lit up, his hand pressing more tenderly against the bump of Haruka's abdomen, chattering softly to the baby inside. Haru knew that soon their baby would be with them, and he had no doubts at all that Makoto would make an excellent father, he was just so caring and selfless, and he knew that despite any of his own flaws at parenting, Makoto would be there to put him right.

No, he had no doubts in Makoto at all.

As if reading his mind, Makoto looked up and green eyes met sapphire, and Haruka found himself looking away while blushing, his heart beating faster than usual.

~X~

The night their baby was born was hectic to say the least.

Haruka had been feeling pains in his lower back for most of the afternoon, but he hadn't thought anything of it until they became nearly unbearable. By this time, it was at least midnight if not pushing into the early morning, and Makoto was fast asleep beside him. Grimacing, Haruka reached out and shook his boyfriend's shoulder vigorously, hoping to wake him up, but unfortunately the brunette slept on peacefully. Wincing as another wave of pain washed over him, Haruka pinched Makoto's arm, causing the other boy to yelp and jolt awake.

"What was that for, Haru-chan?!" Makoto cried, rubbing his sore arm sleepily and yawning.

Haruka flicked Makoto's forehead. Now was not the time. "Makoto."

"Hmm?" He was already starting to fall asleep again.

Haruka grit his teeth, pain flowing through his body again. He hated having to explain himself so much. "You need to take me to the hospital. Now."

"Huh?" God, was Makoto always this useless when he was half asleep?

"Makoto, the baby is coming _now._" Haruka ground out, his voice low and irritated.

There was a moment of silence, and Haruka was just beginning to think that Makoto _had _fallen asleep when the other boy suddenly shot out of bed, wild eyed.

"What?!"

Haruka pushed himself upright gingerly. "You heard me."

Makoto whirled around, beginning to pace back and forth, picking up the duffel bag they'd left mostly packed by the door and throwing random objects into it. "Okay, don't panic Haru-chan, everything is going to be fine." Makoto let out a shaky breath and almost tripped over a shoe, catching himself just in time. "It's going to be alright, just don't panic."

Haruka watched his boyfriend rush around and figured that saying that was a little hypocritical, as it seemed to be Makoto who was panicking, not Haruka himself. Sighing, Haruka knew that Makoto's fear was mingling with his protective nature and causing him to be so irrational, so he carefully climbed out of their bed and made his way over to where Makoto was standing, stopping once to allow a wave of pain to pass. Once he reached the taller male, Haruka put a hand on his shoulder, effectively stopping him in place.

"Makoto."

The brunette turned wide olive eyes on his boyfriend, and Haruka could feel him shaking beneath his hand. Wasn't he supposed to be the scared one? Sighing in exasperation, Haruka levelled his gaze firmly on Makoto's.

"I'm alright, just calm down."

Nodding shakily, Makoto linked his fingers through Haru's, determination settling in his eyes as Haruka squeezed their hands together.

"Okay, Haru-chan." Makoto breathed, an arm making its way around Haruka's waist as the blue-eyed boy grimaced in pain. Makoto smiled gently.

"Let's go and meet our baby."

~X~

Haruka was exhausted but triumphant when their friends piled through the door to his hospital room, all looking sleepy but happy. Makoto was sat beside him on the bed, a blanketed bundle tucked into his arms, their baby safe inside.

A baby girl.

Haru couldn't remember when exactly he found out that he had a baby girl, seeing as all he could remember from her birth was a lot of pain and bright lights and the comforting hum of Makoto's voice somewhere in the room, but he was happy regardless. He'd actually done it, carried their little girl to term and successfully brought her into the world. Seeing her made every little detail fall into place, and nothing had ever felt so right before, not even swimming.

Something in the back of his mind wondered when he'd become so sentimental, but Haruka figured that it was only to be expected when you actually had a child of your own with you.

Nagisa was easily the most excited one of the three, (they'd been unable to get hold of Ama-chan), and Haruka marvelled internally at how the blonde always managed to be hyperactive.

"Ah~ a little girl, Haru-chan! She's going to have the best big brother ever! Can I hold her?"

Makoto glanced down at Haruka questioningly, smiling in content. Haru knew that Makoto was more than happy to show off their beautiful baby, and the brunette hadn't stopped smiling since they'd first heard her cries, but he still looked to Haruka for every decision. Haru figured that it was because he had been the one to carry her, so most of the choices came down to him.

Haruka looked over at Nagisa's wide smile and sighed softly, nodding his consent at Makoto. When the taller male stood to pass their little girl over to the blonde, gently lecturing him on how to hold her, Haruka shut his eyes and tried not to feel lost. It was strange, he mused, how quickly his life had managed to shift to Makoto and their baby, how easily swimming and water had fell behind them.

"She's so cute!" Nagisa's exclamation brought Haru out of his thoughts, and he looked over to see Rei and Kou crowded around the bundle that now lay in Nagisa's arms, Makoto only a step back, smiling happily even as his hands hovered protectively. Haruka rolled his eyes and gave in to the affection bubbling in his chest at the sight of Makoto being so fatherly.

"She looks just like both of you!" Kou cried, also bubbly through her excited tears, and Haruka wondered if it was a girl thing, crying over babies, and resolutely refusing to remember that that was exactly what he and Makoto had done when they'd first been left alone with her.

"What are you going to name her?" Rei asked, adjusting his glasses to get a better look at the tiny girl in Nagisa's arms.

Haruka looked up at his boyfriend, who smiled back at him, not even bothering to hide how happy he was.

"It took us a while to decide between the two of us, but we settled on calling her Umiko." Makoto said the name like it was something precious, and Haruka fought back a smile of his own at the sound of their daughter's name.

Rei nodded approvingly, while Kou clapped her hands together. "That name means 'Child of the Sea' doesn't it?" She questioned, squealing happily when Makoto nodded.

"Yeah…we thought it was fitting for her."

"It's perfect!" Nagisa cried, smiling down at the girl in his arms. "Hello, Umiko! I'm your awesome big brother Nagisa!"

Makoto chuckled in amusement as Kou and Rei each took turns introducing themselves to Umiko, who throughout this remained quiet, blinking sleepily. Naturally however, the silence didn't last, and Umiko began to squirm, her sobs filling the room.

Makoto reached out instinctively to retrieve her from the younger swimmer, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Haruka's gaze had instantly flashed to their daughter when she'd started crying. Smiling gently at Haru's hidden protective nature, Makoto secured Umiko in his arms and murmured soothingly to her, turning to face Haruka who had begun to sit up on the bed, albeit tiredly, and had now held out his arms towards the taller male.

"Here, give her to me."

Makoto obediently crossed the room and handed their daughter over to Haruka, who held her delicately, a rare soft smile on his face as he rocked her gently, hushing her. Makoto felt himself smile at the pair in front of him, chest warm at the sight of the two people he loved most in the world.

"Wow, Haru-chan is so caring!" Nagisa's voice reminded the pair that they weren't alone, and Makoto turned to face the other three in the room, an awkward smile on his face, while Haruka gave the blonde a blank look.

"Lay off the –chan."

Makoto laughed a little at hearing Haruka's dismissal, some things just wouldn't ever change. "Thank you for coming so early in the morning." He said, smiling.

"No problem, Mako-chan!" Nagisa beamed.

"We'll get off now and leave you three to rest." Kou chimed in, waving happily at Haruka as she headed for the door.

"And we'll come back later to see Umiko again!" Nagisa exclaimed as he led the way into the corridor outside, Kou and Rei following him, the door swinging shut behind them, though Makoto still managed to catch the start of Rei telling the blonde, "Not _too _early Nagisa…"

As the sound of their friends' footsteps faded, Makoto turned back to look at Haruka, who was lying back against the pillows and staring down at a now sleeping Umiko. The brunette sat beside his boyfriend, also turning his gaze down to their daughter. Slowly, Makoto reached out and brushed the tips of his fingers against the small tufts of dark hair on top of her head, marvelling at how soft it was.

"She's got your hair, Haru-chan."

To anyone else, it would have seemed that Haruka's expression hadn't changed, but Makoto could see the slight softening in his eyes and the way that his lips twitched with the ghost of a smile.

"And your eyes, when she opens them."

Makoto smiled gently at Haruka, putting a hand over his and linking their fingers together.

"Thank you, Haru-chan."

Haruka finally pulled his eyes away from Umiko to look confusingly at his boyfriend. "For what?"

Makoto tilted his face down to rest his forehead against Haruka's, green eyes burning into blue with so much emotion, Haru forgot how to breathe.

"For everything."

Makoto leant further into the shorter boy, both of their hearts beating faster at the closeness. A breath away from Haruka's lips, Makoto paused, and his grip on Haru's hand tightened.

"I love you, Haru."

Haruka inhaled sharply, it wasn't the first time Makoto had told him that he loved him, but it had never felt like this before. He felt weak and his heart was beating far too hard to be healthy, and whether it was the post-pregnancy hormones or not, Haruka knew that there was no point in pretending to feel any different.

"…I love you too, Makoto."

Haruka felt Makoto smile just before their lips melted together, Umiko cradled tenderly between them, and as Haru slid his eyes shut, he knew he wouldn't want to be anywhere but there.

After all, who would want to be ordinary when you could have this?

~X~

**Sorry for all of that shameless fluff! I know it might not always be in character, but we've only had five episodes so I tried my best. Hope you enjoyed this anyway!**

**XBlazingVampire5X**


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